Apprenticeship programme promised to be simpler from August

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Apprenticeship programme promised to be simpler from August
A number of improvements and simplifications to apprenticeships will come into force from August this year to simplify the apprenticeships programmefor employers, training providers and apprentices themselves. Minister for Skills Alex Burghart said: “We have transformed apprenticeships so they offer a high-quality route into professions as diverse as engineering, healthcare, and digital for young people starting their careers, or adults hoping to retrain and upskill.

“We now want to focus on making the system as simple and user-friendly as possible, reducing bureaucratic burdens on employers and providers and giving apprentices the best possible experience.”

These improvements include:
  • Simpler for individuals to accelerate their apprenticeship by placing a greater focus on provider assessment of prior learning and experience. By improving how providers take account of this at the start of their apprenticeship – and funding them to do a robust upfront assessment – apprentices will be able to cut out training they do not require and complete their apprenticeship more quickly. This means that they can spend more time in the workplace and will become fully competent sooner, boosting employer productivity and their own earnings potential.
  • Consistent baseline for off-the-job training, specifying the minimum number of hours that a full-time apprentice must spend in training. This will simplify the reporting for providers and create a level-playing field among apprentices who are on the same standard but working different hours. This means that apprentices who work more than 30 hours a week will be able to spend more time on the job delivering for employers, while still getting the vital training they need to complete their apprenticeships.
  • Changing English and maths requirements for those Level 2 apprentices who start with the lowest level of prior attainment in English and maths. People who start a L2 apprenticeship without L1 English and maths will no longer need to automatically attempt L2 English and Maths tests to complete their apprenticeship. It will mean that thousands of L2 apprentices can focus on securing a L1 English and Maths qualification with only those who are really ready to take the Level 2 tests attempting them.
  • Provide a more efficient payment service for providers by reducing the data needed to make payments and improving Apprenticeship Service financial reports, helping providers understand what they are being paid for each apprenticeship and why. These improvements will be tested towards the end of the year. Government has also pledged to ensure that all employers promptly receive their £1,000 additional support payment if they take on an eligible young apprentice.
The changes to recognition of prior learning, off-the-job training and English and maths are due to come into effect in August and are outlined in the draft apprenticeship funding rules for main providers (August 2022 to July 2023), the draft Apprenticeship funding rules for employer-providers (August 2022 to July 2023) and the draft Apprenticeship funding rules and guidance for employers (August 2022 to July 2023). All three documents are available on GOV.UK.

Lack of Government action to help businesses will put British economy in a stranglehold, says BCC

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Lack of Government action to help businesses will put British economy in a stranglehold, says BCC
Reacting to news of cost of living crisis measures announced by the Chancellor, Hannah Essex, Co-Executive Director of the BCC, says the Government must act quickly to prevent a stranglehold being put on the economy. Calling for a VAT cut on business energy prices to directly ease some of the pricing pressure and break the inflationary cycle, she said: “The sheer scale of the cost-of living crisis facing the British public means the Government is absolutely right to provide additional support to those worst affected. “For business, the toxic mix of inflation, raw material costs and supply chain disruption is the flip-side of the coin to the problems facing consumers. “Unless steps are also taken to ease business costs, they will likely feed into the inflationary pressure on the economy and quickly eat into the financial support announced. “A reduction in VAT to 5% on businesses’ energy bills would directly alleviate some of this pressure to raise prices. The Treasury must urgently consider the actions set out in our call for an Emergency Budget which would provide a way to break the inflationary cycle. “If we can ease the pressure on businesses then they can keep a lid on the price rises. Firms will then have the breathing space they need to raise productivity and strengthen the economy – but a change of course is needed now. If the government does not act quickly, then rising costs will put our economy in a stranglehold.”

Pensana’s rare earth production facility at Salted inches closer

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Pensana’s rare earth production facility at Salted inches closer
Pensana Plc has completed its Front End Engineering Design and Value Engineering Study into establishing at Saltend a world-class, independent and sustainable facility to supply  magnet metal rare earths vital for the electric vehicle, offshore wind turbine and other strategic industries. The facility would have the annual capacity to produce 12,500 tonnes of separated rare earths including 4,500 – 5,000 tonnes of neodymium and praseodymium oxides, representing around 5% of the projected world demand in 2025, and reducing dependence on imports from China.
Pensana Chairman Paul Atherley said: “Completion of this study is another important step for Pensana in its plans to establish an independent and sustainable rare earth processing hub in the UK. The strong fundamentals and robust economics provide a solid platform for the financing and development of the project. “The growing concerns over supply chain resilience and the burgeoning demand for magnet metals from the electric vehicle and offshore wind sectors is reflected in the growing customer demand for our products.” The study outlines the plans to establish the world’s first independent and sustainable magnet metal rare earth separation hub at the Saltend Chemicals Park in the Humber Freeport, UK, treating material sourced from the Longonjo Operations in Angola and third-party feedstock from a variety of other sources.
The study has been prepared by Wood Plc, SRK Consulting, Snowden Mining Industry Consultants (Pty) Limited and Paradigm Project Management (Pty) Ltd.

Has Google broken the law by restricting competition, asks CMA

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Has Google broken the law by restricting competition, asks CMA
The Competition and Markets Authority is investigating whether Google has broken the law by restricting competition in the digital advertising technology market. The CMA launches second investigation into Google’s practices in ad tech, following launch of probe into Google and Meta’s ‘Jedi Blue’ agreement. Andrea Coscelli, the CMA’s Chief Executive, says it’s important to scrutinise the behaviour to tech firms to ensure the best outcomes for businesses and individuals throughout the UK. Advertising technology intermediation, also known as the ‘ad tech stack’, is a complex set of services which facilitate the sale of online advertising space between sellers such as publishers like online newspapers and advertisers. In 2019, UK advertisers spent around £1.8 billion on this kind of online advertising. The market is important because millions of people across the UK use websites that rely on advertising revenue to offer high-quality, free content. Google has strong positions at various levels of the ad tech stack, charging fees to both publishers and advertisers. The Competition and Markets Authority is examining 3 key parts of this chain, in each of which Google owns the largest service provider:
  • Demand-side platforms (DSPs) allow advertisers and media agencies to buy publishers’ advertising inventory (i.e. the space they have for advertising) from many sources.
  • Ad exchanges provide the technology to automate the sale of publishers’ inventory. They allow real-time auctions by connecting to multiple DSPs, collecting bids from them.
  • Publisher ad servers manage the publisher’s inventory and decide which ad to show, based on the bids received from different exchanges and/or direct deals between publishers and advertisers.
The CMA is assessing whether Google’s practices in these parts of the ad tech stack may distort competition. These include whether Google limited the interoperability of its ad exchange with third-party publisher ad servers and/or contractually tied these services together, making it more difficult for rival ad servers to compete. The CMA is also concerned that Google may have used its publisher ad server and its DSPs to illegally favour its own ad exchange services, while taking steps to exclude the services offered by rivals. Andrea Coscelli said: “We’re worried that Google may be using its position in ad tech to favour its own services to the detriment of its rivals, of its customers and ultimately of consumers.This would be bad for the millions of people who enjoy access to a wealth of free information online every day. “Weakening competition in this area could reduce the ad revenues of publishers, who may be forced to compromise the quality of their content to cut costs or put their content behind paywalls. It may also be raising costs for advertisers which are passed on through higher prices for advertised goods and services.

“It’s vital that we continue to scrutinise the behaviour of the tech firms which loom large over our lives and ensure the best outcomes for people and businesses throughout the UK.”

West Yorkshire firms pledge more than 600 new jobs

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
West Yorkshire firms pledge more than 600 new jobs
More than 600 skilled, well-paid jobs have been pledged by companies across the region after a campaign led by the West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin.  The Mayor, who was elected as the region’s first Mayor a year ago, is now over halfway to meeting her target of 1,000 new green jobs by 2024.  She marked the milestone achievement with a visit to Halifax-based Eclipse Energy which specialises in helping provide affordable solutions to help cut household energy bills through measures such as insultation and solar panels.  Eclipse Energy has so far pledged to create 100 of the jobs, and is working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority on its Better Homes Yorkshire programme which will see hundreds of households benefit from improved insultation and other energy saving measures.  The Mayor said: “One of my ten pledges to the people of our region was to create 1,000 new, skilled, well-paid jobs for young people in the green sector. As we work towards our ambition of creating a net zero carbon region by 2038, it is vital that West Yorkshire has the businesses that will enable that – and, vitally, people with the right skills, on the right career paths to drive forward the change.  “We know that large number of homes in our region are draughty, prone to damp and expensive to heat. Now, more than ever, we need to take action to improve energy efficiency and lower peoples’ bills.”  Daniel Cawdron, Director of Renewables at Eclipse, said: “The ongoing energy crisis has made our work more important than ever. Moving towards a goal of net zero in West Yorkshire is now as much about reducing bills and providing a good standard of living as it is about reducing emissions. “We believe that West Yorkshire can be a national leader in the green sector, and it’s great to see all the work the Mayor and her team are doing for the region.”  To deliver her pledge, the Mayor has established the Green Jobs Taskforce which brings together experts from business, education and training, and the third and public sectors.   Its goal is to position West Yorkshire as a leader for green skills and jobs and set out a roadmap to deliver the skills and jobs needed to address the climate emergency. 

Irwin Mitchell expands wealth management team with acquisition

Tess Egginton
-
0
Irwin Mitchell expands wealth management team with acquisition
Sheffield-headquartered Irwin Mitchell has expanded its wealth management team with the acquisition of Cheshire-based TWP Wealth as it seeks to expand its range of wealth services available to clients. TWP Wealth is a Chartered Financial Planning company based in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, and provides a wide range of financial services and financial planning to both private and corporate clients. Completion of the transaction is subject to approval by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). TWP’s current management team and staff will spearhead Irwin Mitchell’s wealth management arm and join forces with IM Asset Management which currently provides a full suite of financial planning and investment management services. In addition to continuing the support provided to Complex Personal Injury (CPI) clients through IM Asset Management, the acquisition of TWP will build Irwin Mitchell’s wealth services scale and capabilities, enabling the business to meet the needs of existing and new clients across the entire legal services lifecycle. IM Asset Management currently has c.£1bn assets under management (AUM) and the acquisition of TWP Wealth will add a further c.£100m AUM as well as giving Irwin Mitchell further scale in financial planning capability and capacity as well as an expanded leadership team to help the existing management focus on growing the business. Andrew Tucker, group CEO at Irwin Mitchell, said: “We have a successful business, focused on delivering life-time value for clients. Our clients trust us with their legal services at a time of change in their lives or their business – whether through a personal injury or divorce, or they may have sold a business or be looking to secure their families future through estate and tax planning. “All of these events require financial advice and by bringing TWP Wealth on board, this gives us enhanced expertise for our clients, an increased client-base and further opportunities to cross-sell our legal services and meet their multiple needs.” Richard Potts, CEO of IM Asset Management Ltd, said: “We already have a growing wealth management business but the addition of the TWP Wealth team gives us the opportunity to attract more clients from outside of Irwin Mitchell who come direct for our wealth management and financial planning services. “TWP Wealth share our focus on building trust and loyalty amongst clients and we pride ourselves on our excellent client feedback scores. We’re delighted to have them on board and welcome them to Irwin Mitchell.” Mark Shotton, Managing Director at TWP Wealth, who will head up the wealth management service at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Irwin Mitchell is a really unique business with significant potential to build the brand beyond legal services and into financial planning and wealth management. “Our values and approach to clients are very similar: treating them as people and working collaboratively to create tailored lifetime financial plans which work for them. We’re excited to begin working with the team.”

150 wholesale partners provide services over KCOM fibre network

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
150 wholesale partners provide services over KCOM fibre network
Hull-based KCOM Wholesale & Networks has reached the landmark figure of 150 wholesale partners providing services over its full fibre network. The Hull-based network provider has also announced that the number of customers using services provided by other Internet Service Providers over it fibre infrastructure has increased by 60 per cent to more than 5,000 in the past year. KCOM CEO Tim Shaw said: “KCOM Wholesale provides a great platform for other ISPs to sell their services across Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, giving a greater range of choice to the end consumer. I’m delighted to see our wholesale business is going from strength to strength and constantly bringing onboard new partners to make this happen. “This shows how, by working together with resellers, everyone can benefit – from our partners accessing our world class infrastructure, to their end customers who receive great products delivered over one of the best networks in the UK. Among the partners using our network is everyone from quality local ISPs to national, household-name, telecoms giants. “And the fact that the numbers of customers using services delivered by our partners has increased by 60 per cent in a single year shows there’s a huge demand for different services from alternative providers creating choice and competition in the market.” Last year KCOM’s £100m full fibre network expansion, which now reaches more than 300,000 properties across the region, was named Telecoms Project of the Year at the National Technology Awards. Last month the company’s work helping communities across Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire was also recognised at the Better Society Awards with the Commitment To The Local Community Award.

Hull backs national campaign to support Ukrainian women entrepreneurs

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Hull backs national campaign to support Ukrainian women entrepreneurs
Hull City Council had decided that the city will be part of a national programme supporting Ukrainian women entrepreneurs in their efforts to build businesses in the UK. At the first Global Entrepreneurship Congress since before the pandemic, delegates met  Ukrainian entrepreneurship leader Anna Petrova who had fled Kyiv and said they wanted to help entrepreneurs from Ukraine. Since then, Anna has introduced GEN UK to 10 women entrepreneurs from Kyiv and other cities who have built businesses in Ukraine. They see the UK as a safe home for their businesses to recover and grow. GEN UK then set up an initiative called Restart Ukraine. Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration at Hull City Council said: “What’s happening in Ukraine is horrific and the council will continue to do everything it can to help the nation and those people fleeing war. “It works closely with GEN UK on running Global Entrepreneurship Week and was invited to be part of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Riyadh. I am pleased that as soon as it was informed about Restart Ukraine, it took steps straightaway to support it. “By supporting Restart Ukraine alongside the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank, the council is ready to help any young Ukrainian who wishes to set up business in Hull and will link up any young women with this great initiative.” Marc Ortmans, Vice President of the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank and Chair of GEN UK added: “I wish to thank Hull City Council and the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank for supporting Restart Ukraine. If anyone else from the Hull and East Riding want to help, we are looking for financial support, project managers, mentors, mental health support, workspaces, accommodation, banking, legal, investment, training, networkers, and advisors. “The women joining our programme will be invited to join our online community, the GEN UK HUB, providing immediate access to a network and where they can start to create a profile for their businesses and where we can learn about their needs. Once they receive their visa and are able to travel to the UK, we will then assist them on the ground, and we know that Hull City Council is willing to be part of this support.”

Leeds data science business snapped up

Tess Egginton
-
0
Leeds data science business snapped up
Retail data and insight business The Local Data Company Group has acquired Edge Analytics, the data science business specialising in demographic data analysis. The acquisition brings together Edge Analytics’ expertise in geography, data science and forecasting methods and The Local Data Company’s expertise in data and insights for the physical retail market. Following the acquisition, LDC will be investing further in the Edge Analytics office in Leeds and their headcount as they look to build the business. Barnaby Oswald, co-founder and CEO of The Local Data Company Group, said: “We are thrilled to be bringing the Edge Analytics business and all of its data science and forecasting expertise into the Local Data Company Group fold. “The acquisition will allow us to significantly develop our forecasting capabilities and deliver much more advanced demographics to our clients. The capabilities of the Edge Analytics team perfectly complement our current strengths and match our exacting standards for data accuracy. “The pandemic has led to a dramatic change in the shape of the high street, driven by shifts in the home/office working habits of consumers and an exodus from many city centres. In addition, Brexit has impacted the volume of people migrating to the UK, which in turn is changing the UK’s demographics. “Going forwards, we will be able to support clients with both the supply side of retail (with the location of every store across the country) and the demand side, including demographic forecasting and analysis. “I would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome all Edge Analytics clients and employees.” Dr Peter Boden, founder of Edge Analytics, said: “In a new and very exciting phase of its development, Edge Analytics is very pleased to announce that it has joined the Local Data Company (LDC) Group, integrating its specialist data science expertise with the UK’s leading provider of retail location solutions. “The move is an ideal and timely match of product technology, data and expertise; the latest step in LDC’s development as a multi-faceted provider of data solutions to UK businesses. This is great news for both staff and existing clients, providing a platform for long-term growth and development within a unique, ambitious and innovative data and data science business. “As the economy continues its recovery post-COVID, and with the imminent release of new Census evidence on the UK’s population, robust and reliable data, analytics and forecasting will be ever-more critical for product and service planning across all industry sectors. LDC and Edge Analytics are perfectly positioned to meet this need. “Edge Analytics will provide LDC with a presence in Leeds, reinforcing a commitment to the thriving Nexus community and its long-standing relationship with the University of Leeds.”

Sentiment falls as costs and prices rise in the services sector, says CBI

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Sentiment falls as costs and prices rise in the services sector, says CBI
Sentiment fell sharply across the services sector in May amid rapid increases in costs and prices, and a worsening growth outlook according to the latest CBI Service Sector Survey, based on responses from 174 services firms and conducted during the first two weeks of May. Growth in consumer services came to a standstill, with business volumes flat in the three months to May and expected to contract in the quarter ahead. By contrast, business and professional services firms reported that growth in business volumes accelerated last quarter, though volumes are predicted to be flat in the quarter ahead. Costs and average selling prices in the services sector grew rapidly once again over the three months to May. Business and professional services firms expect selling price inflation to accelerate a little further in the three months to August, but the pace of price inflation in consumer services is expected to slow somewhat as demand also cools. Services firms are sharing the burden of higher costs with their customers/clients, with profitability falling in both sub-sectors for the second quarter in a row and a further fall expected next quarter. Ben Jones, CBI Lead Economist, said: “Services firms are feeling pretty despondent about their immediate prospects in the face of cost pressures and high inflation. The squeeze on household incomes is already having an impact on activity in consumer services, with fears of worse to come over the summer. “Businesses across the services sector are continuing to hire new staff and although concerns over shortages of labour are still widespread, they have eased a bit. But falling profitability is beginning to take its toll on investment plans, which have softened. “The Government should act now in support of those on lower incomes but also help restore business confidence and get firms investing. An extension to the successful Recovery Loan Scheme would be an astute move as the cash flow crunch continues for firms.”
1...852853854...984Page 853 of 984